ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins doesn’t hold back on TV, but he needed someone to do so for him at a youth basketball tournament.
During one of his son’s games over the weekend on the AAU basketball circuit in Norman, Okla., things got intense and chippy. Both teams, YPG Perkins and Swaveway Playaz, were fouling each other, witnesses told TMZ.
But one supposedly non-basketball foul sent the ex-NBA champ-turned-youth coach over the edge. He had to be held back while shouting at the opposing team’s coaching staff
“Damn right, and it probably won’t be the last time!” Perkins responded to video of the incident on X. “I’m going to protect every single kid in my organization like they’re my own.”
It took three people to hold back the 6-foot-10 and 270-pound Perkins. Norman police were on site and helped calm down the situation, but found no reason to criminally charge anyone involved.
This is not the first time Perkins has gotten heated at an AAU game. In 2023, Perkins was ejected from a game after arguing with officials.
According to Perkins, he just wanted an explanation for why one of his players was thrown out, but the official ignored him. That is when he got a bit more confrontational and received a double technical and an ejection.
The 41-year-old Texan had a long NBA career, playing for the Celtics, Thunder, Cavaliers and Pelicans. His biggest role was with the Thunder as an important defensive piece next to Russel Westbrook and Kevin Durant. He played a total of 14 seasons before retiring after the 2018 season.
He’s since taken his act to the airwaves, chiming in on hot topics on ESPN’s morning shows. On Wednesday morning’s edition of SportsCenter, Perkins claimed that Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama “got punked’ in game five of the Western Conference Finals.